Sunday, February 24, 2013

Southern Ports Golf Tourney begins..

Sunday 24th February. The practise and training period has passed, Monday is the first round of the Southern Ports Golf Week 54 hole championship. The past weeks have been all directed to being in the best form possible for this my 4th crack at the title. With two 2nd placings in C Grade 2010, B Grade 2011, 2013 again has me in A grade and up against the gun golfers. The gross championship is well out of my reach my 12 handicap is far behind the scratch and single digit scoring potential. My goal is the Nett Championship and with 54 holes in three days, consistency is the goal. The first round on Monday is played at my home track this year so I will have a local knowledge advantage. Unfortunately unlike other years I have not managed to get to Wednesdays venue, Beachport, for a few rounds prior to the tournament. The plus side is that I have the course on video and these reviews in past seasons will be enough to give me some playing advantage. The final days play on the Friday is at Kingston where I have been playing weekly in my preparation. :Last Saturday I had a Gross 84/Nett 72 in the competition and am well versed in the nuances of this course. It all comes down to golfing ability of course and this event is great fun as well with golfers from intra and interstate all vieing for the various titles.This year my biggest change has been increased fitness that has been worked on since November 2012.The weather is sensational here at the minute as February and March usually is on the Limestone Coast. Significantly warmer than usual in fact which is great for swimming and this is also very draining on the golf course so my fitness training is already giving me an advantage. Yesterday was the LOOM WINES Mens Pinehurst Comp. played at Robe best described as Sun, Fun and Golf. A great day had by all as the pictures in the link to the Southern Ports Facebook page show. For some it is a fun way to get form on one of the courses. For others who cannot play in the weeks competition for various reasons as they have in the past it is a day to at least be part of the event. It is a very sociable week and I had a great time catching up with faces that I had not seen for a year. Of course a bit of good natured 'sledging' was part of the catching up. Make no mistake this is a competitive event at heart and every golfer is having a crack at winning something. Even in 2012 I managed to get a second place at one event and that was a big effort. Moving into A Grade is a major step up, The lower grades are as competitive but the ability is at a lower standard. Today is a swim in the morning and depending on the weather I may or may not play in the 18 hole competition at Robe. As I discovered last weekend two hot days in a row take a bit more out of me. This 54 hole tournament is about staying power not an 18 hole sprint. Thankyou for your time and attention “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff